OPERA America draws on resources and expertise from within and beyond the opera field to advance a mutually beneficial agenda that serves and strengthens the field through programs in the following categories:

Creation: Artistic services that help artists and companies increase the creativity and excellence of opera productions, especially North American works;

Presentation: Opera company services that address the specific needs of staff, trustees and volunteers;

Enjoyment: Education, audience development and community services that increase all forms of opera appreciation.

New York City is home to the nation’s largest concentration of performing and creative artists, professional training institutions and music businesses. A majority of OPERA America’s Professional Company Members hold or attend auditions in New York City annually, and opera leaders from Europe and around the world are regular visitors.

In response to the pressing need for appropriate space in New York by members who suffered from the lack of good audition and work facilities in the city, OPERA America created the National Opera Center. The Opera Center serves many functions that support the artistic and economic vitality of the field by providing its constituents with a range and level of services never before possible.

OPERA America serves members across the entire opera field through research, publications and services in support of the creation, performance and enjoyment of opera. Our work is only possible with the generous support of donors dedicated to the future of opera in America.

Collecting and carefully mining data to make informed decisions can lead to increased quality, efficiency and effectiveness in any field. In order for that to be the case, an organization must first establish common goals, a common vocabulary and agree on both definitions and metrics of success. Taking this approach requires the re-evaluation and re-examination of tacit assumptions, especially in the field of arts education.

Most arts organizations’ primary business is that of performance, and so determining what type of role educational programming will play internally and in the community is essential. The word “education” may come to stand for the creation and distribution of study guides, the provision of behind-the-scenes access for discovery or a more in-depth and involved commitment to school- or community-based learning. Education programs may provide a way to supplement lower attendance, increase visibility in the community and sow the seeds of the next generation of attendees.

An organization may define education as high quality teaching and learning — but is that teaching and learning about the art form, or is it using the art form to enhance and improve teaching and learning in the classroom? Is the impact of that organization’s education programs best described by the number of students who learn about and attend a rehearsal or performance of a specific piece, by the work those students create in the classroom the next day or by tickets sold to those same students 20 years hence?

Different departments within our own performing companies may each care about a different way of defining success and measuring impact; other key stakeholders, such as partnering or participating teachers and administrators, may have still other ways of doing so. Incorporating the views of these key stakeholders into an organization’s ongoing business plan is the key to maintaining relevance and adaptability, as decisions such as these cannot wait for a larger strategic planning process to be completed.

By establishing a common vocabulary and a predetermined vision of success, an organization can then begin the process of determining what data need to be collected in order to assess its progress towards success. Quantitative data, such as the number of students served, may seem straightforward, but what are the ways in which those data can be sliced and diced to give richer insight? Does the number of students served equal the number of students who were scheduled to attend a final dress rehearsal, or those who actually attended? For a lecture to adult members of the community, is the number served equal to the number of tickets sold, the number of purchasers who bought the tickets or the number of seats that were filled? What are the age and grade-level breakdowns of the population served? How do you determine the age of an older attendee, or report on an audience’s ethnic diversity while respecting the privacy of the audience members who may not wish to report their information? How do you measure impact using qualitative measures, such as by viewing a portfolio of student work or teacher lesson plans?

These are all important questions to ask and to thoroughly understand, and addressing these issues will form a major portion of OPERA America’s upcoming Education Forum in New York City on Saturday, January 15, 2011. For more information about the Forum, please contact Laura Day Giarolo by calling 212-796-8620, ext. 206 or e-mailing LDay@operaamerica.org.

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All OPERA America facilities are handicapped accessible. The National Opera Center features ground-level entry with elevators to the venue. All spaces are wheelchair accessible, and modular seating can be arranged to accommodate wheelchair users for all programs and performances. Handicapped accessible restrooms are available on all floors.